By Paul Nicholson
December 16 – Somalian football took another major symbolic step forward this weekend with a Super Cup final that was packed with passion, historic significance, a penalty shootout, and hope for the future in front of a packed crowd at the recently refurbished Banadir Stadium in Mogadishu.
December 16 – Play-in series dates for the final 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup berth between French Guyana and Honduras have been set for March next year. The series will provide a fist test for new Honduran coach Jorge Luis Pinto who achieved fame in the Summer with his stewardship of Costa Rica at the world Cup.
By Mark Baber
December 15 – The quarter finals of the FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday saw Kiwi semi-professionals Auckland City go through at the expense of African Champions ES Setif whilst Mexican side Cruz Azul controversially defeated Australia’s Western Sydney Wanderers on a waterlogged pitch, thanks largely to some remarkable refereeing.
December 15 – While the hierarchy of Asian football continues to be embroiled in politics, on the ground the not-for-profit Asian Football Development Project is endeavouring to present the region in a more charitable, compassionate light.
December 15 – The Swedish football association has waded into the debate over transparency within FIFA by suggesting world football’s governing body adopt the Nordic way of behaving when it comes to openness.
December 15 – The idea of playing a Premier League match overseas, heavily mooted a few years ago, will not take place in the foreseeable future.
One of the qualities that have underpinned Sepp Blatter’s long career in sports administration/politics is his bouncebackability. This was on display again in Monaco last week.
By Ricardo Setyon
December 15 – The recent illness of Pele that kept the Brazilian nation anxiously watching their news bulletins, was also the opportunity for the football legend to announce his latest image rights deal.
December 15 – CONCACAF has announced the shortlists of contenders for its second annual awards recognising the achievements of the region’s men and women players, coaches and referees over the past year.
On the wall outside DYPatil stadium in what is navi Mumbai, the city that has been developed beyond the narrow confines of the south of the island where I grew up, there is a poster which reads: Come on India, let’s football.
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
December 12 – Another of the five senior officials being investigated over the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process has protested his innocence and criticised FIFA’s ethics committee for spending so much “energy, money and time” on his case.
By Mark Baber
December 12 – The new Namibia Football Association (NFA) leadership including the new President Frans Mbidi (pictured left) elected last week have been congratulated by FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF) – although the manner in which the vote was held and a walk-out by the main rival candidate and his supporters may spell trouble ahead.
December 12 – UEFA has appointed Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf as the UEFA Global Ambassador for Diversity and Change. Michel Platini introduced Seedorf at a ceremony in Amsterdam at the Olympic Stadium.
By Jaroslaw Adamowski
December 12 – The coaches of two of Poland’s leading football sides have called on the Polish Football Federation (PZPN) to reform the Ekstraklasa, the country’s top tier, by expanding it by a further two teams to 18 squads, similarly to the German Bundesliga.
December 12 – Canadian Sonia Denoncourt has been appointed CONCACAF’s Director of Refereeing. Denoncourt’s role will be to head all aspects of referreing and the development of referees across the region, including directing the Heads of Refereeing in the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) and the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).